Gaming Round Table Episode #14- Infamous Preview Image

Gaming Round Table Episode #14- Infamous

infamous_karma

The long awaited episode 14 is finally here, in this episode we take a look at our first modern game, this one happens to be Infamous, does this game live up to all the hype?

Also, we take a look at an intriguing new feature in Rock Band, is it worth your while or is it another feature that will fall through the cracks?

Watch and enjoy! :)

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Review: Turtles in Time: Reshelled Preview Image

Review: Turtles in Time: Reshelled

This isn’t the game I remember.

teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-iv-turtles-in-time-re-shelled-20090601022157326_640w

Game Length – About 1 hour, this shouldn’t take you too long to blaze through.

Replayability –There’s four player co-op online and leaderboards to keep you going, but the extra modes (survival, and quick play) don’t really add much more than a distraction.

Technical Aspects (Looks,Sounds,Controls) – The graphical upgrade on this game looks very good, I do wish you were able to go back to the original graphics like say, Monkey Island, but the revamp is a nice looking touch.. Sound has been mildly improved with new voice actors providing the turtles one-liners and Veronica Taylor (Ash Ketchum) as April O’Neil

Online Capabilities – Up to 4 player online co-op, a lot of fun but a bit hard to see your character admist your allies and enemies alike.

Value For Money – Thank God they didn’t go for the $15 price point or I would really feel ripped off, but this isn’t enough for the $10 you have to shell (PUN!) out.

tmnt_turtles_in_time_reshelled_5

I’ll admit it, I’m a big ninja turtles fan, growing up with the cartoon and comic books in the ‘80’s, the turtles were always a hit, and Turtles in Time was arguably the best release of the classic beat ‘em up game to date, but, sadly, all is not well in the retelling.

Turtles in Time: Reshelled is probably not what you think, you might think it’s a remake of the SNES game released several years ago, and you would be wrong.. This is a reshelling of the arcade version released in 1991, you may ask yourself what the difference is? Well, I’ll tell you. In the SNES version, you had quite a few more bosses and levels as well as (my most memorable level) the level where you throw foot soliders at the screen to beat Shredder hanging out in a giant mech that’s in your face… You get to fight the Rat King in the sewers, and Tokai and Razzar are met long before you reach the boat.
TMNT-TIT09-Screenshot-Alley1

In the arcade version, you won’t fight Shredder til the very end, and even then this fight is more reminsant of the last fight in The Hyperstone Heist than it is the SNES title, Shredder just has a big sword and runs around the screen smacking you, he’s easy enough to kill and dodge but…. Epic? Far from it. You also will not be fighting the Rat King in this version, as far as the arcade is concerned, he does not exist. Who would have thought you would go to the sewer only to have *Spoiler* Shredder appear and warp you throughout time?

Now, it is not that this is a bad game, it just doesn’t live up to the TMNT legacy.. You remember the 1989 arcade game released how many years ago on XBLA? Sure, it was merely a port of the original arcade version with nothing new short of online multiplayer, but it was only $5…. A drop in the bucket considering how much I spend on that game as a kid, now I spend quite a bit on Turtles in Time in the arcade, but I spend more time on the SNES game, and, quite frankly, prefer that version to all others, more levels, more bosses, just more fun.. But there is one thing that Reshelled has that the SNES and arcade cannot recreate.

That is Online play, up to four player co-op, this is still a lot of fun playing with friends and battling the bosses, did someone say “Turtle Power!”? But when grouped with strangers expect to be battling for pizza from people who clearly don’t need it. There is no lag that I ran into in my play sessions online so it runs smoothly, but this game may merely be an excuse to get 200 more achievement points and then shelve it for life, sorry Reshelled, you missed the mark.

In conclusion, Reshelled is a fun little distraction, but the flaws (namely the price tag), outweigh the benefits of this great game, you might want to give it a try before completely shelving it, but the fact is, this may not be the TMNT: Turtles in Time game you remember.

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Wii HD/ 360 2/ PS3 Slim… Did somebody say pointless? Preview Image

Wii HD/ 360 2/ PS3 Slim… Did somebody say pointless?

Hello there everyone.  You know, sometimes, in the world of video games, it’s pretty hard to be optimistic about the way in which the industry works in terms of its economy.

Today, I realized how retarded Industry leaders must think the public are, and I’ll tell you why.

My reason is simple and clear, and it goes back for generations.  Hardware Upgrades.

And before you say anything, no, I don’t mean generation to generation hardware upgrades, I mean stuff like Wii Motion Plus and the 360 Elite.  It’s those little iterations on hardware that we’ve put a bunch of money into which makes me think that hardware manufactorers take us for fools, and quite frankly, it’s a little bit bullshit.

Now, by no means am I some kind of anti-Capitalist who’s against buying and consuming, I’m all for it, in fact.  What I don’t like, is having my intelligence insulted by companies such as Sony, who are bringing out a slim version of the PS3 sometime probably in the next year, and what will the main differences be?  Well, that it’s a bit slimmer, of course.  So then why not introduce the slim modle at the beginning of the console lifespan?!

102035_ps3-2

Don’t give the that “well, they’re different components inside the box” bull shit either, because I personally think that a company should work their asses off to produce the best possible console they can do in their allotted period of development time and then keep it at that.  Seriously guys, if the PS3 Slim launches at a price similar to the price of the original PS3 I am going to be pissed.

In a similar fashion, console upgrades such as the 360 Elite console make me want to /Rage_Quit life completely.  Adding a HDMI port and a larger hard drive and painting it black do not warrent a £320.00 price point.  If anything, the thing should have been sold at the price of the original 360 when it launched, which was £280.00, far more reasonable.  Granted, the introduction of a HDMI port does warrant a hardware upgrade; it’s not something that you can really just pack out in a separate box… it’s sort of integral to the machine’s  design.  However, price point needs to be kept under control in these kinds of circumstances.

xbox360_elite

The other infuriating situation which keeps plaguing me is this “Wii HD” thing.  Why, oh why Nintendo, do you persist to put out consoles half-finished?!  The whole Wii Motion Plus thing is bad enough.   Sure the add-on is brilliant in every single way possible, and it’s not too expensive and makes games feel great… but why wasn’t it packed in when the hardware first launched?  Why promise a person something that you know you can’t achieve right from the off?  So, erm, back to my original problem… Wii HD?!   Say what?  The idea is  insane.

The Wii should have been in High Definition anyway, and it’s the only fault that I have with that system.  Games look dumb on it… I’m sorry, but it’s true.  If Nintendo decide to release a new Wii (which they’ve not agreed to, yet) that’s exactly the same but with high definition… buy I will be angry.  Would I go out and buy the damn thing?  yes!  Of course I would, because I want my games in high definition, but I would feel completely insulted by Nintendo for making me spend another couple of hundred pounds on something that should have been there in the first place.

wii-motionplus

So there.  I buy consoles so that I can avoid upgrading… that’s what makes PC gaming suck. Please, tell me I’m not alone in these opinions…. there’s got to be more people than just me feeling angered by the decisions of greedy hardware manufactures!  Leave a comment and then head over to the forum to Vent!

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» Latest Headlines

Populous and Road Rash to Return?

Blog, Industry, News, PS3, Rumour, Wii, Xbox 360 - by Newton13 - August 12, 2009 - 10:19 UTC - 1 Comment

road_rash title

EA files trademarks and expresses interest in old IP.
by Martin Robinson, IGN UK
UK, August 12, 2009 – Classic gaming franchises such as Populous and Road Rash could be returning to the current generation of consoles, with EA filing new trademarks for the games as well as expressing an interest in reviving old franchises.

Superannuation has picked up new trademark registrations for Populous, Theme Park, Wing Commander and Road Rash.

The discovery comes shortly after EA Bright Light Studio boss Harvey Elliot, a veteran of Theme Park and Populous developer Bullfrog, didn’t rule out the possibility of the classic games returning in some form.

“I think there’s an opportunity to bring those back in the future,” he told Kikizo, “but only if it’s right for the time and not just a ‘remake’ or something. We’d need to do it in a way that’s true to the original values, but would still make a great game today.”

It won’t be the only Bullfrog game to be put through the remake machine – talented developer Starbreeze is currently lined up to revive the revered Syndicate brand in the near future.

Theme park screen

My Take: This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as both Populous and Road Rash have been reverred as great IPs, and it would be nice to see them return but there is a dark side to this story…

Here’s what I want… Critertion to helm a new Road Rash project, can you imagine Road Rash from the makers of Burnout?!

Here’s what will probably happen: Okay, we got Theme Park, Road Rash, and Syndicate…. Let’s make them XBLA arcade ports and call it a day.. *sigh*…

What do you think? Should these games come back or are we just desperate to see old titles again?
(God help us if it’s Road Rash: Jailbreak)

Sound off in the forums!

Newton13

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Lunar is coming back! To….. PSP?

Blog, Industry, News, Portable Gaming, Rumour - by Newton13 - August 10, 2009 - 11:52 UTC - Be first to Comment!

lunar-harmony-of-silver-star 15

Remember Lunar? That one great game released on the Sega CD so many moons ago? Or perhaps you’ve played the Playstation remakes? The Silver Star Story Complete, Eternal Blue Complete, or both?

Well, you might think this game has gone completely into obscurity since the fall of Working Designs and the fact that the DS game (Lunar: Dragon Song) sucked something awful.. Well it looks like it’s being remade (again) and this time for the PSP, these first screenshots are the only evidence we have right now…

As far as we know, it’s coming out in Japan (no definitive release has been set), will it hit the US or UK shores? Let’s hope so…

lunar-harmony-of-silver-star 14

 

Note: I’ve played the entire Lunar series including the GBA version, although I’ve played the Silver Star Story to death, it’s one of my favorite RPG’s of all time, and I will definetly pick this one up for the PSP if it finds it’s way to US shores…

Check out these screens! :)

 

lunar-silver-star-harmony-2

Picture 1 of 10

Lunar returning? What do you think? Sound off in the forums!

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1 Single Alice in Wonderland Screen Shot

News, PC, Wii, ds - by Tom - August 7, 2009 - 02:24 UTC - Be first to Comment!

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Ok, so maybe there’s not as much content here as I’d like there to be, so stick with me on this one!   Today, this one, single screen shot of the PC version of 2010-marked Alice in Wonderland game popped onto the interwebs, and to be frank, it looks pretty good.  As you can see, the Mad Hatter and the Hare are both hanging out at their tea party looking all afraid of something, and there’s a bunch of wind in the back ground messing stuff up.

I wonder what that’s all about…

Anyway, the game’s set for a 2010 release and is coming out on PC, Wii and Ds.  I, for one, am interested.

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Tony Hawk Ride Only Launching In Three Territories

Industry, News - by Sean - August 6, 2009 - 02:23 UTC - Be first to Comment!

tony-hawk-ride-box

Activision have announced that forthcoming Tony Hawk game, Tony Hawk: Ride will only get a 2009 release in three select territories.

These lucky(?) 3 territories are the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. The rest (that’s France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Belgium, Switzerland or Mexico (or anywhere in between)) then you’re all out of luck and you won’t get a release until 2010.

The delay is blamed on the expense of manufacturing cheap, tacky plastic preipherals and Activision claim (that like with Harmonix’s Rock Band) that demand simply couldn’t be met.

One thing that remains unclear is whether Canada is classed under the United States as it seems a large territory to omit but still no one knows what the guys at the top of got planned.

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EA Confirms Eurogamer Expo Line-Up

Industry, News - by Sean - August 6, 2009 - 02:11 UTC - Be first to Comment!

eurogamer-expo-2009

EA have confirmed the games that they’ll be bringing to this years Eurogamer Expo in October.

The list is quite impressive and as always The Weird Pixel will be there and we will be reporting on all the titles and details that are released.

Here is the full EA list:

  • Need for Speed: Shift
  • Need for Speeed: Nitro
  • The Saboteur
  • FIFA 10
  • Dragon Age: Origins
  • Dante’s Inferno
  • Brutal Legend
  • The Beatles: Rock Band
  • Left 4 Dead 2

The event takes place on October 27-28 in Leeds, then on October 30-31 in London. Buy a ticket here.

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Games for Windows Live gets in-game Market Place

News, PC - by Tom - August 6, 2009 - 02:07 UTC - Be first to Comment!

GFW-btn_v_ck

I’m not really sure what’s going on with the Games for Windows scene, but as of yesterday, it’s getting a little bit more comp[rehensive, a little more… usable, with its 3.0 update!

The largest of the new features is the ability to download content for the game you’re playing from within the game, meaning that you no longer have to exit tot he dashboard or whatever to get something new.  For convenience you can now also use your credit card in-game to purchase stuff.

Here’s the full list of new features:

  • The biggest feature is the in-game marketplace, which lets you purchase items for your game from within the game itself. You no longer have to exit your game to view or purchase Game Add-ons.
  • Once you’ve bought something, Games for Windows – LIVE will download the Game Add-ons and install it all from within the game.
  • Purchase Microsoft Points with a credit card
  • Edit your credit card information
  • Add a new credit card
  • Redeem codes for purchases
  • Change your Gamertag from the Edit Gamer Profile page in the Guide
  • Change a Gamertag
  • Starting with new title releases this fall, publishers can optionally take advantage of two new methods to ensure everyone’s playing with a legitimate copy of their games.
  • Server Side Authentication links the game license to your Gamertag. The advantage of this method is that it allows installation of the game onto any PC, anywhere — only you can access the LIVE service from the game. Server Side Authentication has no affect on offline play..
  • Zero Day Piracy Protection keeps games from launching before the street date the publisher has set for the game.
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StarCraft II Officially Delayed Until 2010

Industry, News, PC - by Sean - August 6, 2009 - 02:04 UTC - Be first to Comment!

StarCraft 2

It’s official, you won’t be able to play StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty until 2010.

Blizzard has moved the release date of the real-time strategy game to the “first half of 2010″ after previously hinting that they hoped for a Q4 2009 release.

Activision Blizzard’s reason for the delay of StarCraft II is reportedly tied to the relaunch of its upgraded Battle.net service, which handles multiplayer for all things Blizzard. In a statement to the Blizzard community, the developer writes “Over the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that it will take longer than expected to prepare the new Battle.net for the launch of the game.”

Blizzard calls the new Battle.net an “integral part of the StarCraft II experience and will be an essential part of all of our games moving forward.” Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said during an investor call today that the new iteration of Battle.net will likely be ready “early next year.”

The delay comes as no surprise as it has already being noted that the MMO would need 4-6 months beta testing which hasn’t already begun so many cited 2010 as the only realistic release date.

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Activision Blizzard Confirm new COD, Tony Hawk, Bond for 2010, Remain Quiet On Diablo III

Industry, News - by Sean - August 6, 2009 - 01:15 UTC - Be first to Comment!

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Activision Blizzard execs listed a bunch of new games for 2010 during a conference call today but declined to be anything other than cagey on the topic of Diablo III.

The notable 2010 enteries include a new Tony Hawk game, another 007 James Bond Game and even new enteries in the Call Of Duty series, however, whether this will be a new title or simply new content is yet to be confirmed.

Blizzard executive Mike Morhaime when asked if the delay of StarCraft II would impact Diablo III’s release said that “the move of StarCraft into next year does not impact the schedule and so it would be correct to conclude that you could expect two releases of Blizzard for next year. But I would not make any conclusions on what those titles would be.”

It seems that Diablo III is being tiptoed around and that last comment about not making conclusions on what those titles might be is there a surprise in store? I guess we’ll be waiting until 2010 to find out.

What do you think of the newly announced 2010 titles? Comment below for free now!

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Guitar Hero Van Halen Set List And Release Date Revealed

Industry, News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 - by Sean - August 6, 2009 - 00:57 UTC - Be first to Comment!

guitarherovanhalen_logo

Activision yesterday gave details regarding forthcoming Van Halen centric music rhythm title Guitar Hero: Van Halen.

They revealed that the title would hit stores on December 22 and will feature approximatley only 47 songs.

The game will be multi-platform and feature on the PS3, Xbox 360, PS2 and Wii.

Below is the full track list:

Van Halen Songs
“Ain’t Talkin Bout Love”
“And The Cradle Will Rock”
“Atomic Punk”
“Beautiful Girls”
“Cathedral” (solo)
“Dance The Night Away”
“Eruption” (solo)
“Everybody Wants Some”
“Feel Your Love Tonight”
“Hang ‘Em High”
“Hear About It Later”
“Hot For Teacher”
“Ice Cream Man”
“I’m The One”
“Jamie’s Cryin”
“Jump”
“Little Guitars”
“Loss Of Control”
“Mean Street”
“Panama”
“Pretty Woman”
“Romeo Delight”
“Running With The Devil”
“So This Is Love”
“Somebody Get Me A Doctor”
“Spanish Fly” (solo)
“Unchained”
“You Really Got Me”

Similar Tracks Also In The Game
Alter Bridge – “Come To Life”
Billy Idol – “White Wedding”
blink-182 – “First Date”
Deep Purple – “Space Truckin”
Foo Fighters – “Best Of You”
Foreigner – “Double Vision”
Fountains of Wayne – “Stacy’s Mom”
Jimmy Eat World – “Pain”
Judas Priest – “Painkiller”
Killswitch Engage – “The End Of Heartache”
Lenny Kravitz – “Rock And Roll Is Dead”
Queen – “I Want It All”
Queens of the Stone Age – “Sick, Sick, Sick”
Tenacious D – “Master Exploder”
The Clash – “Safe European Home”
The Offspring – “Pretty Fly For A White Guy”
Third Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life”
Weezer – “Dope Nose”
Yellowcard – “The Takedown”

Looking at the track list I think I may give this a miss although I like Van Halen I feel that full RRP for 47 songs is steep considering the volume of tracks on Rock Band 1/2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour/5.

What do you think? Like the tracks? Comment below now!

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What Titles Have Warner Bros Trademarked?

Industry, News - by Sean - August 6, 2009 - 00:46 UTC - Be first to Comment!

midwaythatsallfolksorisit580px

Warner Bros have taken over Midway but what IP’s do they hold rights to?

Here’s the full list so far:

Blitz Overtime
The Hour of Victory
San Francisco Rush 2049
San Francisco Rush: The Rock Alcatraz Edition
Badlands
Fireblade
Roadblasters
Joust
Defender
Robotron 2084
Sinistar
Hard Drivin’
Wheelman
Game Party
Touchmaster

Interesting list as there is no Mortal Kombat, leading this to be the first of many updates. Not on the list is This Is Vegas but that has being taken over by Warner Bros and is still scheduled for release later this year.

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